Scott’s expert experiences provide valuable guidance for anyone who is learning to develop their own PCF components and highlights things to be aware of if you’re working with other people, like developments teams, partners, or ISVs. 

By using custom PCF controls for high-traffic and high-value user interfaces, being on track with efficiency updates like virtual controls, and evaluating the total cost of ownership of third-party vs in-house development, app makers can effectively harness the power of PCF controls and create deeply tailored and efficient UI in Power Apps.  

Summary: 

• Know when to use PCF controls – choose high-frequency and high-value
• Use virtual PCF controls to boost your app performance 
• Understand your data binding method
• Use Fluent 9 to align with the rollout across Power Apps 
• Balance customization and maintenance  
• Don’t skip performance testing 

Know when to use PCF controls – choose high frequency and high value 

PCF controls are the key to providing Power Apps with highly customized user interface features, enabling developers to create rich, custom UI features.  

Scott says app makers ought to discern whether they actually need them. 

He suggests using native functionality within Power Apps before reaching for PCF controls. “Push it as far as you possibly can. See how far you can possibly get with the native functionality that you get in Power Apps and Power Pages; it is such a rich environment.” 

He thinks that PCF controls should be used strategically – in high-traffic functionality and high-value user experiences. Their greatest value comes in high-frequency tasks where efficiency is crucial.  

“There might be one area in your app where you’re editing, updating, or visualizing data multiple times a day, and the efficiency of using that user interface is key,” he explained. 

Custom PCF controls are game changers that lead to better user adoption and satisfaction.  

Watch the full webinar here

Use PAC CLI to enable PCFs in Canvas apps  

Before using PCF controls in Canvas apps, you must enable them in the Power Platform admin center. 

“Instead of doing it manually, you can install the Power Platform tools inside VS code and you can use Pack Env command to make an automated script to do it for every new environment,” said Scott.  

This method ensures consistency, reduces errors, and speeds up deployment, especially in enterprise environments. 

Use virtual PCF controls to boost your app performance 

One of the key technical advancements Scott discussed was the introduction of virtual PCF controls. These controls ensure more efficient rendering and quicker apps. 

“Virtual controls share React and Fluent libraries, so they’re loaded only once because they’re part of the platform anyway, and each code component reuses those React and Fluent libraries,” says Scott. 

Previously, PCF controls required each component to include its own copy of React or Fluent UI, slowing down performance. Virtual PCF controls eliminate this issue by allowing all components to share a single instance of these libraries. This reduces load times and memory usage, making applications more responsive. 

“You can use a framework parameter from a shared library to automatically create the scaffolding. Rather than returning HTML from your component, you would return a React component – which is a more modern way of working,” he added. 

Virtual PCF controls were in preview and have now reached general availability. Watch the full webinar to get Scott’s full breakdown.  

Understand your data binding method 

When you need complete control over data handling in a PCF control, or when using one from someone else, understanding its data binding method is key.  

By default, Power Apps and Power Pages handle two-way data binding, automatically syncing data between Dataverse and other connectors. 

For greater control, developers can bypass this and call the Dataverse Web API, enabling precise CRUD operations. “If you have an application where performance is really important, and you want to be very clear about how you get data – and how you update data – then the web API then gives you this ability.” 

Whether building or using a PCF control, knowing if it relies on automatic binding or API calls is essential for performance and maintainability. 

Use Fluent 9 to align with the rollout across Power Apps 

Scott highlighted the importance of aligning PCF controls with Power Platform’s Fluent UI standards to maintain a consistent look and feel.  

“With Fluent version 9 rolling out across Power Apps, it’s important to ensure that your PCF controls use the latest Fluent styles to look native inside the platform.” 

Balance customization and maintenance 

Scott stressed the need to weigh the benefits of building custom PCF controls against the total cost of ownership. He warned that reusable components require ongoing maintenance and compatibility testing.  

“Every time you reuse something, it introduces an additional cost… if you’re going to build a reusable component, then you have to take on that responsibility of making sure that you’re going to test it every time.” 

For organizations considering third-party or open-source PCF controls, Scott advised due diligence. While resources such as the PCF Gallery provide many examples and open-source components, they often lack official support, required for enterprise apps. Maintained third-party libraries provide more support and handle the maintenance.  

“PCF Gallery is a great way to learn because most controls link to GitHub repositories where you can see the source code. But remember, open-source PCFs often don’t come with official support, so you’re on your own if something breaks.” 

You’re going to have to figure out where you sit in this spectrum of ownership you’re going to have to take– you can build your own PCF and manage the testing, regression testing and maintenance. You can use PCFs from Microsoft, or paid libraries, like Resco Power Components, which gives you more support and handles the testing and maintenance for you, or you can use open source, but make sure you’re checking the code and that you generally know what you’re doing.  

When deciding, it is important to understand the implications and the total cost of ownership.  

Don’t skip performance testing  

Performance testing is important particularly when deploying PCF controls in large-scale applications.  

“In development, where we’ve got 10 test records, it’s okay… but how many records do we have in production? We have 10,000 records. How is it going to work for that?”  

Thinking about this early on is essential for ensuring that PCF controls function smoothly under real-world conditions. 

Final thoughts  

PCF controls have come a long way. They started out in model-driven apps and then spread throughout the Power Platform. They are now an integral part of the platform.  

“Before PCF, the only way was to embed web resources and use iframes. There was always a glaring difference between the user and the interface you would get. The great thing is, with PCF, the users don’t see a difference. The job is so much easier now and you can make things look amazing. The sky is the limit. I think that’s the real power of PCF,” says Scott.  

And that’s it! You made it to the end of the article!  

This was just a summary of what Scott, Michal, and Jakub discussed in the webinar! You can watch the webinar on ESPC’s YouTube channel to get Scott’s insights in full. 

About Scott Durow  

Scott Durow is a committed and passionate software architect who has been deeply involved in developing and evolving the Power Apps Component Framework (PCF) controls and is a leading authority in this domain.  

He is a Power Platform Advocate at Microsoft. Prior to joining Microsoft, he was a Microsoft MVP for 11 years and worked as a solution architect and consultant on enterprise implementations.  

You can learn more from Scott on his YouTube channel or on his podcast  XrmToolCast where he covers all topics related to Power Platform development. 

Príspevok Expert insights from Scott Durow: How to work with PCF controls like a pro  zobrazený najskôr Resco.

Ask anyone working on enterprise projects, and they’ll tell you it’s NEVER that easy. The search for a custom control always turns out to be the tip of the iceberg for a project that highlights how challenging PCF controls can be.

Rendering logic – beyond UI design 

Let’s start with rendering logic. Imagine setting up a shop window. You arrange the items so they’re easy to see and look inviting.  

Unfortunately, apps require more than that to run well.  It’s not just about writing a snazzy UI with HTML and TypeScript. It’s also about planning for large datasets and complex interactions, ensuring performance remains stable at scale.  

Responsive design also matters because your component might be used across devices and form factors. On top of that, enterprise branding compliance standards often require visual consistency. Jumping straight in without accounting for these factors can lead to major headaches. 

Data binding – keeping information in sync 

Think of a digital menu in a restaurant. When the chef updates a dish, it instantly appears on the menu screen. Data binding keeps that connection alive between the app and its data so that changes happen seamlessly. 

In the real world, it means juggling multiple data sources like Dataverse, SQL, or SharePoint. Not only do you have to optimize data retrieval (think caching or efficient queries), but you also need to respect role-based access, and any compliance mandates your organization has in place. That way, the same component can safely handle a variety of user permissions and maintain top-notch performance even under heavy loads. 

Event handling – managing user interactions 

Every user interaction with a PCF control creates an event.

Event handling anticipates high-traffic usage and builds workflows for every scenario. When a user interacts with your component, you might trigger a Power Automate flow or a custom API call, so you must think about event logging and potential fallback flows if something goes wrong. 

Context awareness – adapting to different environments 

Context awareness helps your component adapt to different environments -development, testing, and production – without requiring constant rebuilding.  

A little forward planning can ensure easy configuration changes, support multiple languages, and keep your solution secure for different user roles. Enterprise applications often serve global teams. Context-aware components adjust based on user locale. 

An intelligent PCF control should be context-aware. It’s like asking for directions on your phone. If it knows you’re in Valencia, it won’t show you a map of Vienna. Context awareness is how apps understand where you are, who you are, and what’s relevant to you. 

To wrap up, let’s not forget error handling, logging, and testing. These practices ensure your app won’t crumble when unexpected issues arise (and they always do).   

Start small, learn from the best 

I am a citizen developer who has recently encountered PCFs, so this iceberg is terrifying. But starting small and learning from community experts like Diana Birkelbach and Scott Durow went a long way toward avoiding the pitfalls.  

There are plenty of examples of integrating PCF controls with real-world data, building error recovery mechanisms, and optimizing performance for thousands of users. The tip of the iceberg might draw you in – it’s fun and exciting – but the real value comes from tackling the unseen portion. That’s when a PCF control becomes a powerful tool for delivering enterprise-grade solutions that meet real-world demands. 

Príspevok The PCF iceberg: Four hidden challenges when working with PCF controls zobrazený najskôr Resco.

Date: May 19–21, 2025  
Location: City of Valencia, Spain  
Conference venue: Valencia Conference Centre (May 20-21) 
Pre-conference day venue: Hotel Melia (May 19)

Recommended accommodation: Hotel Melia 

We’re very excited for the business apps community to come together and talk about the advancements and best practices in our industry.

We have chosen the vibrant seaside city of Valencia, Spain as the location for Resco Next. The city offers sunny beaches, breathtaking modern architecture, a historic city center worth exploring, and palm trees!

The conference will take place in the Valencia Conference Centre.

The schedule

Resco Next 2025 spans three days, running from Monday to Wednesday.

• Pre-conference day (May 19): Held at Hotel Melia, this day offers deep dives into technical and business topics, as well as consultations with Resco experts. The consultations require advance booking.
• Main conference days (May 20–21): Held at the Valencia Conference Centre, these two days feature sessions led by industry professionals, success stories from partners and customers, Microsoft MVPs, and Resco experts.

We have also found a charming venue for our evening reception, but we will keep that under wraps for now .

The venue

The two main conference days will take place in the Valencia Conference Centre, designed by renowned architect Norman Foster, who is closely associated with the development of high-tech architecture. Foster is also the designer of the Gherkin building in London.

The Valencia Conference Centre has won the World’s Best Convention Centre Award twice, so we’re excited to welcome you there.

How to get tickets to Resco Next? 

The tickets to Resco Next are free of charge — you won’t need to pay for your ticket or catering during the event. It is required to register prior to attending the conference.

The number of available spots is going to be limited, so we encourage you to register early when registrations open in January 2025. 

We will email you to inform you that registrations have been opened. The link to the registration form will also be posted on our website and social media channels.

Put a placeholder in your calendar

We hope to see you at Resco Next in May! You can add a Resco Next 2025 placeholder to your calendar. You can always email us at events@resco.net in case you have any questions. 

What is it like at Resco Next 2025?  

Watch the video from last year’s Resco Next in Vienna or the previous one from Marbella on our YouTube channel. We’ve also compiled the sessions from Vienna into a playlist on YouTube.

See you in Valencia!

Príspevok Save the date: Resco Next 2025 zobrazený najskôr Resco.

Do your external users need a Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Power Platform license or not? What is an “external user?” The questions seem simple, but there are multiple points to consider.  Ben Vollmer, an industry veteran, provides practical insights to help you make an informed decision when defining your external user strategy.

Licensing Microsoft Business Applications to external users is a commonly misunderstood area of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Apps licensing guide. Ben Vollmer, along with Jakub Bajla and Eduard Kesely from Resco, brings some common sense to this topic by guiding you through the core concepts and providing real-life examples.

The term “external user” has been part of the Microsoft vocabulary for about 20 years. Despite its longevity, it’s often misunderstood.

External users are individuals who interact with a system but are not part of the organization that operates the system. Examples include customers accessing a portal to view their account information or caretakers accessing a relative’s medical records online.

The webinar starts by breaking down the terminology. Ben explains the difference between an external user and an outsourced user and explains what it means to be working “for you” or “on your behalf”.

Do your users need licenses? Important points to consider

Ben encourages viewers not to skip the details when considering whether a user can take advantage of external user access to Microsoft Business Applications or not. The details draw the fine line between being in-compliance and out-of-compliance with the Microsoft licensing guide. He suggests considering:

• Who owns the license? 
• What is the external user doing?
• Multiplexing
• Access to graphical user interface (GUI)
• License reassignment rights

Good news: Resco supports all scenarios

If you use Resco, you can rest assured our products offer options to make sure you stay compliant with the Microsoft licensing guide – no matter which group your users fall into.

Ben Vollmer is joined by Eduard Kesely, Resco Head of Product. Eduard describes the three types of projects you can build with our Mobile App Development Toolkit:

1. Anonymous External Users: These users access the app without authentication, receiving the same content universally. Typically this is for marketing purposes involving publicly available information. Setup involves creating a common user in the backend and customizing specific projects in Woodford which will be used for these types of users. (Usage scenario is for customers who need to access common information of the company)
2. External (Portal) Users: These users log in to access CRM content tailored for them. This setup requires defining a security role in CRM and using Woodford to configure the project with authentication entities and registration methods. (Usage scenario is for suppliers of the company who are not part of the company and directly do not contribute to the business of the company)
3. Standard User Project: A project for authenticated users, with unique content for each logged in user based on security role and permissions.  (Usage scenario is for contractors, seasonal workers, and sales representatives directly working on behalf of the company)

For in-depth information about Resco and external users, please visit our Wiki: https://docs.resco.net/wiki/External_users

To discuss your specific scenario, please contact Resco at sales@resco.net.

Ben Vollmer, Strategic Advisor at Resco

With a distinguished 16-year career at Microsoft, Ben held several leadership positions within the Dynamics 365 business unit. His extensive background spans consulting, sales, product development, and product management, covering a diverse range of industries and markets. Ben is recognized as an industry veteran, known for his pragmatic approach to solving complex business challenges.

Príspevok External users demystified [takeaways from a webinar with Ben Vollmer] zobrazený najskôr Resco.

Resco Power Components are designed for app creators to make building business apps on the Power Platform faster and easier.

They are made for consultants, developers, and solution architects—who craft model-driven and canvas apps for their clients in low-code / no-code. Code components allow app makers to add a wide range of functionality to their apps immediately without needing to wait for and budget for custom code from developers.

This makes project delivery more efficient, letting app makers digitize processes quickly and be more productive with ease.  

What are Power Components?

First batch based on popular demand

Based on popular demand, we have selected the first batch of essential tools – an image gallery, Kanban board, video player, signature area, multi-select dropdown list, and a calendar picker.

The Resco Power Components are customizable, meaning that app makers will be able to use them for more than one use case. Instead of having to code components in JS from scratch, app makers will be able to use our components and configure them as they need to without needing to code. Using the configuration section doesn’t require code knowledge.

Each code component can be used for different business use cases. For example, you can use the Kanban board for managing tasks or to build a sales funnel – depending on the data you map it on.

Working with a well-managed library of code components takes care of security concerns as well as maintenance issues. We plan to develop the components continuously, extending their features where needed and adding more components to the library.

Benefits of using Resco Power Components:

• Speed up project delivery to clients
• Save costs on developer hours and custom coding
• Guarantee security, quality, and future compatibility of code
• Build components compliant with Power Apps licensing

Príspevok New product alert: Build on Power Platform faster with Resco Power Components zobrazený najskôr Resco.

1. Automated document generation improves operational efficiency 

With findings from a Zapier study highlighting that a significant portion of workers spend hours daily on data-related tasks, the whitepaper underscores the critical need for document automation. By adopting automated document generation, organizations can save resources, minimize errors, and enhance productivity. 

2. Analysis of Microsoft and third-party tools 

The paper presents a guideline for using Microsoft’s native tools versus third-party solutions for document generation. While Microsoft tools offer the advantage of having one supplier, potentially reducing compatibility issues, they may lack the specialization and ease of use provided by third-party solutions specifically designed for document automation on Power Platform. 

3. Advantages of third-party add-ons 

Third-party add-ons bring customization, advanced features, scalability, rapid deployment, and dedicated support to the table. These solutions are built to address the evolving and complex needs of businesses, providing advanced functionalities that enhance Microsoft’s native options. 

4. Key considerations when choosing a solution  

The whitepaper emphasizes the importance of considering factors such as the procurement process, data storage and handling, additional data management costs, and potential performance issues when selecting a document generation solution. These considerations are vital for aligning with regulatory requirements, ensuring cost-effectiveness, and achieving desired operational efficiencies. 

5. Highlight on Resco Docs+ 

Among the third-party solutions, Resco Docs+ stands out for its integrated Document designer, offering a no-code, point-and-click environment for template creation. Its performance, ease of use, and mobile application compatibility make it an ideal choice for organizations seeking reliable and complex document generation capabilities. 

In conclusion, the whitepaper serves as a comprehensive guide for organizations navigating the complexities of document generation on the Power Platform. By evaluating the pros and cons of Microsoft and third-party tools and considering essential selection criteria, businesses can make informed decisions that will aid them in their document automation efforts. 

Download the whitepaper

Príspevok Document generation in Microsoft Power Platform [5 key takeaways from the latest whitepaper]   zobrazený najskôr Resco.

Learn hands-on how to build mobile apps for field workers using Resco and Power Platform. We will guide you through installing, customizing, deploying, and improving the solution and measuring the impact in a series of three 1-hour on-demand webinars with live Q&A sessions. 

In this workshop centered around a common business case, our Success team will guide you through the journey of a fictional company Z.A.P. Energy Cleaning.  

Z.A.P. Energy Cleaning uses Microsoft Dynamics 365 as its CRM. However, it has digitization requirements that go beyond a CRM solution and they’re looking for a way to grow on Power Platform. 

Through the Z.A.P. Energy Cleaning story, we will show you how you can use the same Resco tools you know and love for CRM on Power Platform to cover a wide range of business challenges. 

Our Success team will demonstrate: 

• Setting up Resco Inspections+ for non-CRM use cases 
• Building a solution for performing health & safety procedures and vehicle inspections, using templates and adjusting them to fit the use case 
• Measuring the impact of the collected data with Fabric and Power BI   

Z.A.P. Energy Cleaning is a fictional industrial cleaning leader with 80% of their workforce serving outside the office in roles such as drivers and inspectors. The company wants to consolidate multiple point solutions and pen-and-paper processes for health & safety and vehicle inspections into one business application with a strong long-term perspective. 

After completing the training, attendees will have a solid grasp of how to rapidly deploy an end-to-end mobile solution using Resco and Power Platform that helps make their non-CRM teams more productive in the field. 

Day 1: Setting up the mobile app  

Get to know the business case of Z.A.P. Energy Cleaning, a fictional industrial cleaning leader with a need to digitize non-CRM processes and teams. 

• Intro to Resco on Power Platform and the business challenge 
• Showcase of the final solution with screenshots and solution architecture 
• Setting up Resco Inspections+ for Power Platform 
• Setup of Resco mobile app  

Presenters: Nicholas Boxall, Knowledge Specialist, and Lukas Lesko, Support and Education Manager 

Duration: 1 hour (including Q&A) 

Day 2: Inspections solution low-code customization 

Dive deep into the process of customizing Resco Inspections+ through the lens of the Z.A.P. Energy Cleaning business case, see the mobile app in action, and discover how the solution achieves the business requirements. 

• Creating Health and Safety Assessment and Vehicle Inspections 
• Using advanced features: data mapping, OCR, tagged images 
• Showcase of scheduling and timesheets 
• Customizing the solution, including setting up rules 
• Backend work with Inspections data 

Presenters: Marek Ferenc, IT Support Specialist, and Lukas Lesko, Support and Education Manager 

Duration: 1 hour (including Q&A) 

Day 3: Fabric integration and data visualization in Power BI 

Join us for the final part of the Power Platform Masterclass, where we bring the data story full circle. In this session, we’ll delve into the data collected by Z.A.P. Energy Cleaning, through questionnaires discussed in our previous session. We’ll demonstrate the end-to-end process of data handling – from offloading and optimizing storage in Fabric to generating insights in Power BI.  

We will discuss the potential future impact of Fabric, including the cost of data storage and the possibility of reducing the data footprint. Then, we will look at the data processing in Notebooks and finally build a simple report. We will cover: 

• Best practices for working with big data 
• Using Fabric to prepare the data for analysis 
• Building a report with Power BI 

Presenters: Marek Rodak, Knowledge Specialist, and Matej Vanik, Developer 

Duration: 1 hour (including Q&A) 

Príspevok Build end-to-end mobile business solutions faster with Power Platform and Resco [short summary from a masterclass webinar] zobrazený najskôr Resco.

Fieldworkers rely on good tools for data collection, and Resco’s Inspections+ and Forms+ are the go-to solutions. But the real challenge isn’t just gathering data – it’s making sense of it. 

Thanks to our partnership with Microsoft, we’ve made this process straightforward. By integrating Resco’s data collection with Microsoft’s visualization tools, we’ve created a streamlined solution for businesses to harness their data effectively. 

This guide breaks down the steps for using Power BI to not just view but truly understand your questionnaire responses. It’s time to move beyond the basics of data collection and tap into the full potential of your information with the power of Power BI. 

Use case: Working with questionnaires in Power BI 

Using sample data from elevator inspections, we create visual reports to identify patterns.  

For instance, filtering inspections by account reveals variations in problematic accounts. Those variations include:

• Asset-specific insights, like identifying recurring issues with specific elevator brand component.
• Analyzing specific time frames, such as comparing season to season.
• Asking why we did fewer inspections this season compared to others
• Visualizing meaningful data to offer valuable insights. 

Technical integration

Importing data into Power BI Desktop: Data extraction 

Let’s start with the actual report.  Begin by importing data from your backend using the “Get Data” option. This connection serves as the foundation for your Power BI report, allowing you to pull in data from sources like Dataverse or Salesforce. 

Entity selection 

You don’t have to import the whole organization. Select only the relevant entities that you intend to visualize in your report. Once you have selected all the entities that you need, click Transform data. This imports the entities and starts Power Query Editor right away. 

Data transformation and cleaning 

Data refinement 

Use the Power Query Editor to clean up your data. This involves removing unnecessary columns and shaping the data to match your reporting needs. In this use case, unnecessary columns can be questionnaires we don’t want to visualize or questionnaires with serialized answers columns that are empty. Cleaning your data ensures that only essential information is included in your report.  

Parsing JSON 

After you are finished with data cleaning, create a new query (table) that contains only the questionnaires you want to visualize. Remove all but the serialized answers column (containing questionnaire responses in JSON) and transform (parse) it. This step is crucial for isolating the key columns that hold the answers you want to visualize. 

Managing relationship model 

Defining relationships 

The Model View is used to set relationships between various tables in the report. That includes a newly created table, like the one where we’ve transformed questionnaire data.  Establish relationships between the different tables in your dataset. These relationships create a unified data structure, allowing you to connect and analyze data across various entities. 

Building the report (final step) 

Creating visualizations 

In this phase, your data is ready to be visualized. Pick visualizations that convey your data insights the best. You can choose from many visualization types. Here is one of the most basic: A card displaying the number of questionnaires collected. You can modify each visualization by editing properties, adding filters, etc.  

Key takeaways

• Resco’s Inspections+ and Forms+ are essential for precise data collection, answering the challenge to derive meaningful insights from massed data 
• Our collaboration with Microsoft enhances this process by integrating Resco’s data collection with Microsoft’s visualization tools, providing a streamlined solution for businesses. 
• This guide briefly explores displaying and interpreting questionnaire responses with Power BI, unlocking your data’s full potential. 
• In our use case, working with questionnaires in Power BI unveils patterns and valuable insights for decision-making based on actual figures. 

Conclusion

Efficiently transforming questionnaire responses into a robust Power BI report empowers data-driven decisions and becomes a catalyst for knowledge acquisition, strategically equipping field workers for inspections and enhancing overall efficiency. This is how data visualization transforms the mobile workforce. 

Explore more with a Power BI deep dive on the Wiki. 

Príspevok A step-by-step guide to visualizing questionnaire responses with Power BI zobrazený najskôr Resco.

Read the story of Kate, an administration manager at an elevator service company that went through digital transformation. 

Many companies still rely on paper documents. They know all too well that paper is not effective, and the process is frustrating. However, digitization is daunting.  

Managers fear digitization will be time-consuming and expensive, requiring frequent maintenance. They also fear slow adoption rates that prolong the process.  

The good news is that digital transformation is becoming less demanding with the advent of low-code platforms. 

Digital transformation changes (work) lives  

In recent years, companies are increasingly choosing to build on Microsoft Power Platform. This platform cuts costs and development time with low-code tools. We at Resco make building on Power Platform even easier with our Power Solutions that enhance the core Power Platform experience. With tools like this, the decision to digitize becomes much less distressing. 

To show you how technology for business applications can change lives, let us introduce you to Kate, an admin manager. Observe her day-to-day work before and after the elevator service company she works for went through multiple steps of digital transformation. 

Love watching more than reading? Watch Ludovit Bobula, Product Manager at Resco tell Kate’s story. 

It’s hard to keep track of paper documents 

Kate’s job is to keep all the inspection questionnaires in the company up to date and available for technicians in the field.  

Whenever there is an update, she needs to make sure all the inspectors are using the latest version.  

Despite Kate’s efforts, many technicians do not use the updated questionnaires; when they do, many still use the old questionnaire paper sheets. After completing a job, they must file job records with Kate, yet they often do not. This is obviously frustrating for Kate.  

Seeing Kate struggle, the company decides that digitizing the entire process will be a good idea. 

For business technology people like us at Resco, this is an exciting day. Now our technology can help someone make their work better. 

Managing changes to the questionnaires 

Kate’s company found an implementation partner. They recommended digitizing the questionnaires using Power Platform.  

In Kate’s field, the legislation often changes. This makes it necessary to make changes to many of the questionnaires at once. The implementation partner needed to ensure that Kate can access and change the documents on her own, without needing to reach out to an administrator or consultant with every single request. 

This is why they chose Resco Forms+. This solution allows business users to design their questionnaires in a drag and drop interface. Whenever Kate wants to make a change, she opens the Questionnaire Designer, changes the questions, publishes her changes and all the technicians have access to the updated document instantly on their mobile devices. 

The implementation took a couple of months. The adoption was quick – thanks to Resco Forms+, the digital questionnaires are easy to work with for the field technicians and they can use them on any mobile device.

Resco Forms+ has helped Kate to keep all the company’s elevator inspection forms updated and organized in one place. If she needs something more advanced, she can ask the partner to set it up. 

Discover Resco Forms+

Generating inspection summaries, contracts, and invoices 

Now that Kate has the most tedious work process sorted out, she can look at other types of paperwork that pass through her hands – namely service reports, contracts, and invoices. 

She needs to go through collected data, complete what is missing and manually create all these documents. To do it, she copies information from various sources and pastes them into a Word template. She then emails the document to a client or stores it in a folder.  

That is the old system, and many people still use it. But digitization with a good implementation partner can offer a much more comfortable and efficient system.  

Kate’s implementation partner recommended using Resco Docs+. This solution automates document generation and delivery in Power Platform. 

Kate can design her invoices, contracts, and reports, and set up Power Automate to fill them with data from Dataverse. She can then set up the PDFs to be generated, saved and/or sent to any place she chooses. 

For example, she can design a finished work order report, and then have it automatically generated every month and sent to her and her department leader. Resco Docs+ on Power Platform saves Kate time and effort spent on repetitive, tedious tasks. 

Discover Resco Docs+

Providing guidance for technicians where and when they need it 

The final problem Kate deals with is sharing knowledge between inspectors. As in many organizations they use Words, PDFs, and Share Point.  

Kate, as the administrator, is responsible for keeping these documents updated, yet she is not out in the field. If something changes, she might not know about it. 

The implementation partner suggested using Resco Steps+ on Power Platform. With this solution, Kate can build a knowledge library with step-by-step instruction guides. She can enhance the text with images and videos and make the guides available on frontline worker mobile devices. Thanks to the digital guides, Kate has been able to lower error rate and speed up onboarding.

Discover Resco Steps+

Everything in one ecosystem 

Resco Power Solutions are ideal for a company like Kate’s – one that has both office and frontline workers and needs the documents, inspection forms, invoices, and training materials to be available in a reliable and accessible system. 

Kate can now incorporate any changes and legal requirements without having to wait. Although she is not a developer, she can use no-code tools to set everything up. And if she has advanced requests, she can always reach out to her implementation partner.  

These are just the first steps in digital transformation. Imagine how many more ways there are to cut the tedious tasks and concentrate on ideas with real impact. Taking these first steps in digitizing workflows allows a company like Kate’s to harness the power of AI. By feeding it with relevant data, Kate and her co-workers will get insights they can use to make strategic decisions.  

Everyone’s workday is a bit better, thanks to well-performing technology.  

This is the kind of thing that makes us happy at Resco.  

Read more about the Resco Power Solutions

Príspevok How low code platforms make digital transformation easier zobrazený najskôr Resco.

Resco Docs+ is a solution natively integrated in Power Apps that allows you to design your template and choose what data to add. It uses a Power Automate connector to automate the creation, sending, and saving of your documents.

Resco Docs+ is fully integrated in Power Platform. This opens the door for you to use all the tools the low-code platform offers, including the latest innovations.

Design your document

First, you need to choose what document you want to create and how it will look.

Resco Docs+ makes it easy to turn your idea into reality with an intuitive drag-and-drop designer.

You can design your document using a header block, a footer block, and grid blocks. Grids ensure that your data won’t overflow and your layout won’t break down. It will stay exactly as you intended. We call this pixel-perfect design.

Choose what data to use

Choose from a list of fields and variables and simply drag them to the document.

Add data from Microsoft Dataverse/Dynamics365 or those collected in the field. Use data from related and unrelated tables.

Take advantage of the rules engine to show or hide parts of the document.

The no-code system makes it easy for all business users to make changes. More complex requests from partners and skilled users can be satisfied with advanced tools.

Automate document generation, sending, and saving

When you are done with the design stage, use Docs+ to generate your document.

For this, you can use a Power Automate workflow. The Resco Report Connector fetches the document template, fills it in with up-to-date data, and generates a document in your preferred format automatically.

Power Automate also lets you set up what will happen with the document. You can either save it on your SharePoint or send it via email.

Need to schedule documents in advance? You can choose when the document will be created. For example, a monthly report can be automatically generated and sent to the stakeholders once a month. A service report can be stored on SharePoint and sent to a customer when the field technician finishes collecting data and hits a dedicated button. And an invoice can be automatically generated when an order lands.

How to try Resco Docs+?

Resco Docs+ works in a Power Platform environment. To use it, you need an appropriate Power App and Power Automate license, along with Resco Docs+ license.

Learn more on Resco Docs+ landing page and read detailed guidance on Resco Docs+ wiki.

Start a free trial and download the two solution packages from our website. Add these packages to your Power App project, and you are ready to go.

Start free trial

Príspevok Improve your business processes with Resco Docs+ on Power Platform zobrazený najskôr Resco.

In this article, we will delve into:

Understanding Power Platform, the democratization of app development

The Microsoft Power Platform is a low-code / no-code platform designed to simplify the application development process.

It makes digital transformation accessible to both tech professionals and business users. By enabling app development without coding, more people can be engaged in transforming their business in less time. This opens a world of new opportunities: any member of an organization can come up with an idea, develop it, and integrate it seamlessly with the existing framework.

How Resco Power Solutions enhance the Power Platform

The best suggestions for digitizing workflows can come from anywhere, not just the front office. They often come from the frontline, where business meets the world.

Frontline workers, always on the move, require efficient tools regardless of where they are: on the rooftop, in the basement or on the outskirts. They can’t afford to use tools that don’t align with their daily tasks. Simply put, workflows need to be tailored to fit their operations.

This is where Resco comes into play.

Resco is the product of 20+ years of experience, accumulating decades of frontline know-how and turning it into software solutions attuned to the needs of mobile workers.

And now, we are bringing the best of it to Power Platform.

Watch Trevor Metcalfe, Resco’s marketing manager for North America, deliver the news live from the Microsoft Power Platform Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada

As a seasoned ISV partner of Microsoft, Resco is built to natively fit Microsoft Business Applications portfolio – whether with Dynamics, Power Platform, or Business Central.

By using our solutions, businesses can satisfy the needs of their frontline workforce quicker, at a lower cost, and make their projects easy to maintain.

Exploring Resco Forms+, Docs+, and Steps+

We proudly present three inter-compatible solutions for Power Platform. Designed as modular building blocks, you can just reach out and use them whenever needed.

Resco Forms+ enables frontline personnel to collect data – from conducting surveys, audits, and inspections, to using guided workflows, to getting customer signatures. Everything can be done seamlessly within Power Apps and Power Pages. You can use simple drag-and-drop tools to make the form align with the needs of frontline workers. This maximizes user adoption, which in turn means higher data quality.

Resco Docs+  combines Dataverse and field data to automatically create invoices, contracts, and reports in PDF or any format you choose. Users can design pixel-perfect document templates in a drag-and-drop editor and use Power Automate to build flows for automatic document creation, data population, and distribution.

Resco Steps+ allows businesses to share knowledge in a simple, accessible form. You can create step-by-step instruction guides with text, images, and videos to prevent errors and speed up onboarding, making them available exactly when and where frontline workers need them.  

Why choose Resco Power Solutions

Let’s look in more detail at how the new solutions can cut your costs, reduce maintenance and pave the way for the future.

Watch Marek Sitar, Resco’s Product Marketing Manager, explain how Resco Solutions for Power Platform work

Use the advantages of Power Platform and the ISV community

Building in the Power Platform ecosystem means you can count on its longevity in futureproofing your projects.

The partner community is one of the biggest competitive advantages of Microsoft, providing a smart solution to almost any of your challenges.

Leverage native integration

With Resco, you can leverage Microsoft licenses and connect through Active Directory. Resco is not only natively integrated with Microsoft architecture but is also a part of the ecosystem it enhances.

Ready-made solution thanks to our focus on customers

Customers have always been our singular focus. Thanks to countless conversations with organizations that rely on hundreds of frontline workers, we know what the industry needs and have designed ready-made solutions for pressing problems.

We implemented the insights of clients working in the most demanding conditions and armed our solutions with advanced features to cater to their needs. Even if you won’t need every feature from the onset, you can take advantage of them as your company grows. Need new features? Deploy them instantly without any additional costs.

Cut time to market and cost to market, increase ROI

Having a ready-to-go, scalable solution means you don’t have to invest your time and resources in building. You can simply start using it.

When using Resco Power Solutions, you can get prototypes ready for testing within weeks, not quarters. This reduces your time-to-market, and consecutively cost-to-market, over a solution built from scratch.

By using fewer resources, your initial threshold for calculating ROI (return on investment) is lower.

Simplify Maintenance

Implement stakeholder suggestions without discarding your existing code. You can even re-use parts of your projects. Not having to maintain custom code lowers the cost of maintaining your whole project and the risks that come with it.

Use the offline mode of Resco mobile app on Power Platform

Resco is well-known for its mobile app with full offline mode. With an advanced sync engine, it is the mobile app of choice for businesses in the most demanding industries.

When offline is needed, you can always use the Resco Mobile App on top of your Power App license. Your users benefit from our offline-first architecture to avoid increased internet traffic/consumption, latency due to shaky reception (even in urban areas), or even shortened battery life.

If you want to learn more, you can visit the Power Solutions landing page, or watch a recording from our Power Platform masterclass webinar.

Príspevok What are the new Resco Power Solutions? zobrazený najskôr Resco.

Resco Steps+ serves as a practical tool for gathering and maintaining knowledge, enabling employees to access work instructions seamlessly and standardize processes. As a reliable helping hand, it empowers users with the information they need at their fingertips.

While the creation process still requires some manual work, a dedicated AI team within resco.Labs has been actively exploring the advancements in AI technology. This has led to an idea for simplifying the process of creating work instruction guides just by leveraging user descriptions.

We talked to Matej Končal, developer, about the process of implementing AI within Steps+ for the generation of work instructions and benefits that comes with it. 

In this article, you will find out: 

• more about the idea of ​​generating guides with AI 
• how it works 
• the benefits of AI generated digital guides 
• what’s next

Simplifying work instructions

The idea to implement AI into Steps+, freeing our customers from the manual creation of work instructions, began during brainstorming sessions by the AI team at resco.Labs. This initiative aims to drive the process to the next level and transform the way work instructions are generated. 

Currently, if a user wants to create a work instruction guide, there are several manual steps that must be followed. However, there is a way to skip these manual steps by integrating AI with Steps+. This can limit many human errors, easily standardize the form of work instructions, and more importantly, it saves a significant amount of time for users, allowing them to focus on more critical tasks. 

How AI generates work instruction guides 

Thanks to this idea, users no longer have to think about how to structure clear and easy-to-understand instructions.

Let’s have a look at how it will appear in practice and generate a guide for the Lockout-Tagout process, a safety method used to ensure that the hazardous equipment is correctly shut off. 

Users simply need to click a single button and provide a description of the information they want the guide to contain. In this case, we are simply requesting a Lockout-Tagout guide consisting of five steps. 

In response, a draft guide is automatically generated, providing a solid foundation.  

Users can then make additional edits, tailoring the guide to their specific needs. This approach empowers users to create an outline in their own words, freeing them from the limitations of standardized structures and supporting a more personalized and flexible guide creation process. 

How is this possible? The foundation lies in the way our guides are stored in a JSON database structure, which allows for flexibility and easy manipulation of the data. Leveraging the power of OpenAI, our AI team is working hard to implement its API, making it an ideal tool for our guide creation process. 

Beyond just user input, this system goes a step further by tapping into ChatGPT’s own extensive knowledge base. This knowledge base acts as a valuable resource, providing plenty of information that the system can draw upon. By accessing this knowledge base, the system can leverage its own “creativity” and generate helpful suggestions. 

Combining user input with ChatGPT’s own knowledge allows for a more comprehensive and insightful guide creation process. The system not only considers the user’s specific instructions but also includes its own understanding and context, resulting in more accurate and valuable suggestions.

This interaction between user input and the ChatGPT’s knowledge base improves the overall guide creation experience, ensuring that the generated guides are informative and tailored to meet the user’s needs. 

More ideas on the way 

Powered by AI, Steps+ saves time, simplifies the creation process, and collaborates with intelligent suggestions. But that’s not all. There is more to look forward to. At Resco, we are continuously exploring additional ways to integrate AI into our products, aiming to further improve customer experiences and simplify their lives. 

Discover Resco Steps+ 

To find out more, visit the Steps+ landing page and start a free trial.

Príspevok Generating work instructions with the power of ChatGPT in Resco Steps+ zobrazený najskôr Resco.

Resco’s DNA is empowering our partners to find effective solutions to a wide range of custom business requirements, no matter the complexity or uniqueness. And as we continue to witness Microsoft’s strong investment in Power Platform, it was a natural next step to natively integrate Resco into Dataverse, the advanced data management platform evolved from Common Data Service. Through this integration we want to support our partners across a broader spectrum of use cases and also help them build their own IP on the Power Platform with our full support. This is a step further in enabling rapid and cost-effective business apps development with a strong mobile experience, explains Resco’s CEO Andrew Lorraine.

Let’s take a closer look at the Resco & Dataverse integration and how you can make the best out of it.

New opportunities emerge with Resco on Dataverse & Power Platform

Microsoft Power Platform and Dataverse combine a robust suite of low-code/no-code development, data management, automation tools, and analytics. From small startups to large enterprises, companies use Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI solutions to manage and optimize their operations. All of this, including the solutions for Dynamics 365, is now natively available to our partners integrating Resco. This combination provides much broader flexibility and options for partners in deciding what technology and in which situations they are going to use.

This flexibility allows businesses to tailor their technology solutions to their specific needs, avoiding the need for a one-size-fits-all approach. For example, some customers might require Dynamics 365 Sales or Service to power their operations, while for others a Dataverse-based solution is the more suitable and cost-effective solution. The integration of Resco with Power Platform allows our partners to choose the technology for the clients based on their unique requirements while still guaranteeing an excellent experience for mobile teams, elaborates Andrew.

Leveraging this full force of Microsoft and Resco Mobile App Development Toolkit allows frontline teams to use business solutions conveniently on mobile devices, in challenging conditions, and across a broad range of markets & use cases.

Our mobile-first approach, offline capabilities, synchronization engine, and market-leading data collection and reporting tools ensure that users of Dataverse & Power Platform can access critical data and perform tasks on-the-go. We know from the experience of our customers already using Resco for Dynamics 365 that this significantly improves their operational efficiency and productivity in the field, outlines Resco’s Head of Product Eduard Kesely.

There are already solutions that have leveraged the combined power of Microsoft Dataverse and Resco. One of the first partners with running projects is Evidi, a technology innovator and provider of digital transformation solutions from Norway.

Smartly combining Resco’s customization options and offline capabilities with both Microsoft’s technology stack and our own IP, we can help companies optimize their field service and inspections processes and deliver better results for their customers, said CEO of Evidi, Jørn Seglem, in the recent announcement of strategic partnership.

How to get started with Resco & Dataverse

Simply put, the available integration means that Resco’s technology operates on Dataverse and Power Platform the same way it has been on Dynamics 365 solutions such as Field Service or Sales. You can use all the various tools and modules, including Woodford, Mobile CRM, and our leading inspections, guides, and reports functionality with Microsoft technology. Some of the main scenarios where combination of Resco mobility with Power Platform and Dataverse bring most value are:

• Data capture and reporting: Integrating Resco with Dataverse enables collecting and reporting data in mobile scenarios and combining multiple data sources into a single database and tools like Power BI or Resco’s Power Automate Reports tool.
• Offline access: Reliable offline functionality allows businesses and their teams to work with Power Platform’s solutions in the most demanding field conditions, syncing updates through Dataverse once reconnected.
• Advanced customization: With Resco on Dataverse it’s possible to meet unique business requirements for mobile experiences even with a small development team or limited budget through no code/low code customization tools like Woodford and our Questionnaire or Report Designers.
• Fast deployment: The Resco + Dataverse native integration is highly flexible and can be integrated with existing systems in days. With the pre-made components which address data collection, contacts overview, or reporting, business can scale quickly and agilely.

Discover the Mobile App Development Toolkit

If you are interested in exploring more about the integration and pricing/licensing options, we encourage you to contact your account manager at Resco or Resco Sales directly.

Príspevok Rapid innovation for mobile workers: Announcing Resco integration with MS Power Platform & Dataverse zobrazený najskôr Resco.

In my career, I‘ve often been asked: “Which technology should we use when we want to enable employees to use their mobile phones or tablets and stay connected with Dynamics 365?”

Well, there is no simple yes-and-no answer.  

Different approaches like native development, framework/platform-based, or custom web-based development have advantages and disadvantages. Especially when it comes to discussing Resco Mobile App Development Toolkit and Power Apps in my technical area of D365. 

I know there are more options out there, but I work with two of them daily. I will share a little bit of my experience and personal views on those two great technology platforms. 

Resco and Power Apps 

Resco is easy to set up in your Dynamics 365 environment, and you can start with your app right away, either by using templates or building it from scratch with the easy-to-use configuration tool. That, in principle, works similarly to the model-driven approach for Power Apps.

Unless you need deep development knowledge or have specific requirements, both options show their strengths. If you start creating some logic in the app, you have a solid and feature-rich rule engine on the Resco side where you will still be able to create complex logic, buttons with functionalities, and row scripts without using any code or code snippets.

One good example was a project requiring the implementation of specific rules to create a new record and prefill the data (fields) from many related records based on several criteria. Although this might sound straightforward, it wasn´t a question of simple conditional logic. It was much more.

Using many fields, navigation tabs, and hidden fields on the form supported by different rules, onLoad, onSave, onChange variables, the rule engine’s full capabilities, and supporting buttons enabled the project team to fulfill this with the out-of-the-box features of Resco Mobile App Development Toolkit.

Typically, this would need development, and performance would be one of the concerns. I can say that as a user, you see no difference between this “complex” form and another standard one. 

And yes, when you work with Power Apps, you can use business rules, workflows, and flows (Power Automate). You can easily add other data sources in your environment to create flows you want to run while doing a separate thing in the mobile app. But in the offline case, some of the flows in the cloud will not be executed.

The offline use case 

This leads me to one of the key differences between the solutions. In the case of being offline, you have a lot of possibilities to define the synchronization filter on a very detailed level in Resco.  

It can take care of the cases where you have a hierarchy of records that you need to have access to whenever you need them.  

In the past, I worked on a project with the requirement to work fully offline. We needed to synchronize a specific set of related records and sync back the edited and the new ones, including mobile reports.  

The tricky part was reducing the number of synced records from a million to, let´s say, 150 we needed. This was possible due to the capabilities of the sync filters – the initial load under 3G connection took approximately less than a minute and a “delta” sync less than 30 seconds. 

Time to market and development speed 

Another difference is the time to market. You can build a fully functional, offline-capable app within a short time frame and use it as the base until you add specific processes or even coded parts, which can be used in the hybrid or fully custom mode in Resco. 

Another example is the fast development of a working proof of concept (PoC) app. The requirement was to replace an old legacy application for desktop/laptop devices with a new mobile application for phones. 

The entire project took half a year, including business process reengineering, scoping, etc. Still, we developed the first working app within 3 days, including a big part of the complex synchronization mechanism. 

Reporting 

Reports are another hot topic which is very important to customers. If you have the data at hand, you can create a feature-rich and nicely designed report right on your mobile phone or tablet.  

Again, you can do this very easily on both mobile platforms. With the circumstances I described before, Resco delivers a more feature-rich report editor where you can again use the rule engine and design features.  

Signing off reports directly in the field 

From previous projects, I can tell some good insights where users needed to have the possibility to create mobile reports, in offline or online mode, for their customers to be signed off.  

One of the requirements from a customer in the field was to sign off a job. As we already have a good example, most likely a PoC report, we could implement this report within 2 hours with rules, repeaters, fields from different entities (nowadays also known as tables), and a branded design. 

I remember that day as one of the team members said “And when did you build this?” Well, we did it today (8h). The team member was amazed at what was possible with Resco Mobile Reports. 

Usually, when I get the requirement to create reports in Dynamics 365, I use other third-party/ISV solutions. 

Building complex reports 

Another requirement was to build a complex report using a repeater. You can imagine how many stages we have had to receive the correct data of the original record and all the related ones based on several criteria.  

The business benefit is that a user can use reports directly from very simple to highly complex ones and in the same way the administrator can create and design them in one single tool and can test them more or less just in time.  

Well, that took a little longer to build, but it was achievable with the report rule engine and the help of Resco, where we also had the chance to deliver feedback to Resco to extend the capabilities of the reports and its engine.  

The business benefit is in this case that users can put complex data structures into a report on different criteria. Imagine an invoice with many different lines (prices, quantity, details) dependent on specific criteria like location (currency), selected items and related data. 

With the model-driven or canvas app approach, you can do the same or similar things, create a fully custom-built app based on Dataverse/Dynamics 365, build it as you wish with the necessary low-code skills, and even extend it with many custom parts.  

The difference from my point of view is that you will soon need low-code capabilities, so really some coding skills to get to the same stage when you use a model driven/canvas driven approach. 

Which one to choose? 

So, you might see there is no 100% choice I can suggest to you for one of the tools as it all depends on the circumstances from where you start: 

• What module of Dynamics 365 is already in place?
  Vote: Depends on current solution and strategy

• What kind of solution is already in place? (I mean the customized ones)
  Vote: Depends if you already have Resco in place or not? Are you custom by standard or fully custom?

• What is the ultimate goal of the mobile app? (Offline scenario, multi-app solution, stay out of the box and standard, or go custom)
  Vote: Heavily custom… for Resco

• Do you use an older version of Resco Field Service App which was already customized?
  Vote: Resco Field Service+

• Do you already have a highly customized Model/Canvas driven app or Resco app?
  Vote: Power Apps

• And much more elements come into consideration…
   

Obviously, I can recommend what you can or should do in some cases, but in others, the specific scenario needs to be analyzed and discussed. 

If you would like to have a fully offline-capable app with custom logic and a specific UI/UX, then Resco is the right choice.

If you already have Resco in place, and this applies especially to Field Service+ as the Field Service Module was highly customized, use Resco Field Service+. 

If you start from scratch, you need to think about the “big dream” or “vision” – what will or should the future solution look like, is the one you have easy to use, and will a standard solution be delivered? Do you need to wait for various new features which have been announced? As you see, there are a thousand questions. 

So, I would like to invite you to discuss this topic, share your thoughts on this, give me your view with all the pros and cons. Only by knowing the different perspectives and experiences, we can analyze, define, and create the best solutions for the customers. 

This blog is a part of the Resco partnership program available to Resco partners and MVPs. Want to know more or contribute to the community with your article too? Reach out to partners@resco.net for more information.

Príspevok Resco Mobile App Development Toolkit and Power Apps – A short overview based on my 7+ years of experience zobrazený najskôr Resco.